Raptors Undefeated - 95-84 Raptors

The Raptors won their first game of the regular season on the strength of 44 points, 19 rebounds and 8 assists combined from Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal. The Raptors started sluggishly, not making a field goal for the first five minutes of the game, but hung around long enough for "Hot Cocoa" Roko Ukic (sorry) to come in and prove why he is the backup point guard. He brought energy and leadership off the bench, including a beautiful play in which he coralled a loose ball followed by a pretty behind-the-back dribble to give him the open lane for an easy layup.

NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Chris Bosh - 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists. In the first of likely dozens of spectacular performances, Bosh started the season with a bang. He shot 9-16 from the floor and 9-10 for the line. If Bosh brings this every night (which he's capable of) he'll give the Raps a chance to win every night out.

Notables:
Jermaine O'Neal - 17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists. Silenced his critics, for a day at least. Played very well and was active on defense. Did pick up five fouls, but at least one was very questionable, a blocking foul that in this blogger's humble opinion was an obvious charge.

Jose Calderon - 13 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds. A very solid, efficient game from Jose, as we're used to seeing, recording just one turnover, and shooting 5-9 from the field (3-5 from three). Also answered the trivia question, "Who made the first field goal for the Toronto Raptors in the 2008-09 season?"

Jason Kapono - 15 points (10 in the 4th quarter), 2 rebounds. Was blisteringly hot this game, shooting 3-4 from three and 6-8 overall. If he does what he was brought here to do - shoot, shoot, and shoot some more - the Raptors will be very happy with his complement to Jamario Moon's athleticism.

Full box score

Stat of the game:
Looking at the game stats, it's shocking that the Raptors won this game, let alone by such a wide margin. They were absolutely annihilated on the boards, losing that battle 56-33, committed seven more fouls (23-14) and were minus-eight in free throw points. However, the Raps shot 62.5% (10-16) from three-point land, turned the ball over just ten times (to Philly's 18) and held the Sixers to 34.5% shooting from the floor. While it's common knowledge that Philly is a poor outside shooting team (5-20 from three), every team has their weaknesses, and tonight it looked like the Raptors capitalized.

Next game: Friday 7:00 PM vs. Golden State Warriors

Raptors Season Opener Start Time Changed

The Raptors at 76ers season opener tomorrow has been moved from a 7:00 PM tipoff to 6:00 PM, presumably to avoid conflict with the World Series. You can download the 2008-09 schedule with game coverage information.

Perfect! One fewer hour to wait!